iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Justin Verlander is one of my all-time favorite baseball players, and he apparently hails from a town that sounds like a Star Wars planet.

A screenshot of Justin Verlander's Wikipedia page:

Detroit Tigers-No. 35
Pitcher
Born: February 20, 1983 (age 43)
Manakin Sabot, Virginia, US
Batted: Right Threw: Right

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Life has been horrible this week, but I took delight in needing to put on my hoodie before work because it's so chilly out.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hannah and I are caring for a sick kitty. Still waiting for blood work to come back so we have some answers/clarity. Pet stress ain't fun (or cheap).

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A glimpse into how my mind works. I contain multitudes.

A screenshot of my Bluesky search history, displaying searches for "slut gnomes" and "Kris Bryant"

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Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Trans rights are human rights. Don’t fuck with my trans homies or you’re not a friend of mine.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I think the most painfully Mariners end to this season will be them finishing exactly one game out of first place.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I saw this post last year, and it pops in my head EVERY SINGLE TIME I see George Kirby, and will do so for as long as I'm around.

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kat, ghost of helenruthsghost @chaoskat.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

You can boo whoever you want. Cheer for whoever you want. Don't let people gatekeep your heart.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

A happy birthday to @hcohen.bsky.social, my favorite person, a talented writer and thinker, and just an overall gorgeous, good person. ❤️

Hannah, wearing brown sandals, white pants, and a white and black striped top stands in front of Monticello with her hands folded behind her back. She's standing on steps in front of the columns and windows of the back side of the estate. It's very sunny out.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Hannah and I took a day trip to Monticello, and, despite the current administration, the museum and tour makes sure slavery is at the forefront of the estate and its legacy.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I know unsubscribing from email lists would make my life easier, but there's a certain energy I get from muttering "get outta here with this shit" as I hit 'Delete.'

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm 43, I'm not at all afraid of aging, but I'm slightly unnerved by how many times a random movie or album will pop in my head, and I'm like "Oh, that came out eight years ago" and it turns out to be from 2005 or so.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I posted this a year and a day ago. Let's see if I do another happy reverse jinx.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I wake up, feed the cats, make coffee, and stare at my little Gloomy News device

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

What's making me sad about the Mariners collapse is the pall of the lockout. I don't know when we'll have baseball again after this season, and I absolutely use it as a distraction from the horrors. At least there will still be basketball after the World Series.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Dan Wilson's body language never fills me with confidence.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I've been taught how to play poker maybe seven times in my life, and I forgot how to play less than ten minutes after each game ended. I'm just not mentally built for card games.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I just followed an old college classmate and was reminded of why I unfollowed him in the first place. Not sure what's worse, influencers or people desperately trying to be influencers.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I want to play catch and hit baseballs at a park so badly. How do I make adult friends at 43? I know there's MeetUp and such, but I've never had any luck that way.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

A local chamber of commerce org used an AI flyer to promote a local business holiday push, and I asked them to please use a real graphic designer and not use slop. The post was deleted a couple hours later. I almost never post Facebook comments unless it's a friend's, but I couldn't resist.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

In driver's ed, they never tell you how goddamn scary it is to sneeze while driving.

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BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL AKA PRESIDENT FOOTBALL @edsbs.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I would rather fuckin die than read any of this

Bluesky topic showing “debate over using y’all” if you catch me clicking on this, please punch me in the dick

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Alice Campos @ok-sure.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

We can’t all be talented or beautiful or rich or famous like Dolly, but we can at least strive to be a little bit better of a person than we were yesterday. Maybe that’s a good start

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

If/when the MLB lockout happens, I wonder if the MLB app will actually acknowledge it. Can't tell you how many stories/recaps I've read there that mention the 2027 season as if there's no looming storm.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I grew up a Cubs fan, I'm still a Cubs fan, but Mariners!!

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Work is absolutely testing me today, so I need Kade Anderson to go six innings and leave with a 6-0 lead tonight.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I'm a child of the 1990s, and I cringe out of my skin whenever I see one of those 90s nostalgia posts. "WHO REMEMBERS SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL AND GLASS GATORADE BOTTLES AND SECONDHAND SMOKE"

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Those Google Cloud baseball commercials: "You can look up stats that nobody would ever think about and don't even mean anything!"

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Introduce yourself as what almost killed you. Hi, I'm ten large folding tables precariously stacked next to a staircase.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Me: "I need a new gym bag. Let me go look at them, surely they're not that expensive." The sporting goods deities, ruffling my hair: "Oh, you sweet, naive child."

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Oh, Mariners. Guess we'll have to see what 2028 has in store.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Whenever I buy underwear at TJ Maxx, there's always one brand I've never heard of in my life. It's like "Hanes, Calvin Klein, Puma, and....34 boxes of Honk underwear."

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the lakeshore monk @thecorlew.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

you can tell my writing’s not AI bc—and just hear me out on this—I’m obviously not the kind of loser who would use AI

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Not sure if I'll stay awake for the Mariners and Dodgers tonight.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm reading DARK DAYS by Roger Reeves, published in 2023, and one of his essays references "former President Trump," and goddamn, it's jarring to see in print three years later. Who knows if it'll ever be a phrase again.

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Aaron Cameron @thatbootlegguy.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

I know you holdouts on using alt-text are only doing so because “no one tells ME what to do”, but when the whole-ass punchline of your joke requires me to know who’s in the pic you posted, you out of luck with me unless they starred in a movie before 2004 or made an MLB All Star team pre-expansion🤷🏾‍♂️

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I bought a couple new baseball and basketball card albums to replace the ancient ones I've had since high school. Also used the opportunity to open a couple packs I bought earlier this season, and pulled some good ones. This activity was really soothing for some reason.

A horizontal Topps 75 Paul Skenes baseball card

A portrait mode Topps 75 Kyle Teel rookie card.

A portrait mode Topps 75 Cal Raleigh baseball card.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Me: ACAB Also me when someone is dangerously speeding on the highway: WHY ISN'T ANYONE PULLING OVER AND TICKETING THIS ASSHOLE

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I went to bed early and missed a great Mariners game. I plan to stay up and watch tonight, which guarantees they'll lose 3-1.

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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I do not post screenshots from the X app because I am not an importer of filth. All the filth you see here is organic and locally sourced

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Pretty sure I scrolled by a Harry Potter reference to Lindsey Graham, and if that ain't peak Blue Wave social media cringe, I don't know what is.

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dirt squirrel @dirtsquirrel.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

yeah life is expensive. but y'know what's free? singing a song to a fuckin cat

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A Seattle Mariners relief pitcher popped up in my "You May Know" Instagram suggestions, so I like to imagine him muttering "who the hell is this?" when I pop up in his.

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Tal Lavin @swordsjew.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

ICE: "so we murdered another person in broad daylight with total impunity. in our defense we were scared in an abstract way"

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Saw a post from a journalist, clearly an AI slop photo framed as a real thing, and the snarky "who cares if it's fake" replies (from the journalist and others) made me genuinely sad and scared for where we're truly at with reality and comprehension.

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James Yates @jamesyates.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Friday night at my job: had a guy looking for books on "dark psychology" so he could "see how his ex-wife is manipulating him."

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kyleraiser: Bloodline @kylebutoverhere.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

How I feel every time Justin Verlander is in the news

The tweet
You: "in only 35, I have my whole life ahead of me. "

Spirts broadcaster: "Here comes the oldest player in the league. He's 32. A miracle."

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Wendy C. Ortiz @wendyortiz.com · 09/07/2026

Just having a little cry reading this opening excerpt of a review of all three of my books by the amazing @erinvachon.bsky.social in the summer issue of The Missouri Review missourireview.com/article/the-...

missourireview.com

| The Alchemy of Wendy C. Ortiz

Discovering the best in fiction, essays, and poetry

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